energy – Mysterious Universehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org
Blog and Podcast specializing in offbeat newsThu, 24 May 2018 17:36:27 +0000en-UShourly1Hadron Collider May Have Disproved the Existence of Ghostshttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/02/hadron-collider-may-have-disproved-the-existence-of-ghosts/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/02/hadron-collider-may-have-disproved-the-existence-of-ghosts/#commentsSat, 25 Feb 2017 12:24:49 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=81018If I understand what you just declared, you just asserted that CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research, disproved the existence of ghosts. What did British physicist and professor Brian Cox say to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to elicit such a response? Is Tyson right? Is Cox right? What would Charles Dickens say? Tyson was... Read more »]]>

If I understand what you just declared, you just asserted that CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research, disproved the existence of ghosts.

What did British physicist and professor Brian Cox say to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to elicit such a response? Is Tyson right? Is Cox right? What would Charles Dickens say?

Tyson was a guest recently on Cox’s BBC Radio 4 show, The Infinite Monkey Cage. The discussion was supposed to be about particle physics but who changes the channel from their favorite oldies station to listen to that? Cox decided to grab everyone’s attention by opening with a bold statement.

Before we ask the first question, I want to make a statement: We are not here to debate the existence of ghosts because they don’t exist.

This was Cox’s ear-catching lead-in to a discussion about CERN’s Large Hadron Collider particle physics. If there is any machine capable of detecting ghosts, it’s the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), whose near speed-of-light collisions of protons has created quark-gluon plasma (the densest matter outside of black holes) and discovered the Higgs boson. Finding a ghost should be a particle of cake for this machine.

The Large Hadron Collider

Cox begins with the idea that ghosts are not matter, so they must be pure energy. That means they would abide by the second law of thermodynamics, lose that energy to heat and dissipate. Unless … here it comes … ghosts have a source of energy that keeps them in existence. If that were the case, the LHC would have detected it. And, since it hasn’t, Cox concludes that his proves ghosts don’t exist. (Fermi and his paradox would be proud of this logic).

Brian Cox

For those who need further proof, Cox supplements the second law of thermodynamics with the Standard Model of Particle Physics by pointing out that the existence of ghosts would require a change in it.

If we want some sort of pattern that carries information about our living cells to persist, then we must specify precisely what medium carries that pattern, and how it interacts with the matter particles out of which our bodies are made. We must, in other words, invent an extension to the Standard Model of Particle Physics that has escaped detection at the Large Hadron Collider. That’s almost inconceivable at the energy scales typical of the particle interactions in our bodies.

“Wait a minute!” yell experts in the Standard Model of Particle Physics. There are some particles, like axions, that are predicted to exist but the LHC hasn’t found them yet. Could ghost particles be like axions? Cox sticks to his initial premise that ghosts are pure energy and that means the laws apply, so … no ghosts.

A consoling Neil deGrasse Tyson tries to pick up the spirits of spirit believers by saying that he himself has had “haunting experiences.” While they’ve eventually been explained by science, he understands the need to believe.

And that allows me to understand, and even embrace, the urge that people have to want there to be this deep mystery, such as ghosts of ancestors. I have a soft spot for what that psychological state is, because I’ve felt that intermittently, except I kept exploring and getting the answer.

Does the LHC and the logic of Brian Cox disprove the existence of ghosts? If not, should Cox start listening for rattling chains?

Who are you going to believe … CERN or your own eyes?

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/02/hadron-collider-may-have-disproved-the-existence-of-ghosts/feed/8Ghostbusters and the Existence of Ley Lineshttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/07/ghostbusters-and-the-existence-of-ley-lines/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/07/ghostbusters-and-the-existence-of-ley-lines/#commentsSun, 17 Jul 2016 11:39:25 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=65421If you haven’t seen the new Ghostbusters reboot yet, this is a spoiler alert. Still here? If you’ve seen the movie, you may be wondering about the reference to “ley lines” and their power (at least in the movie) to link to the world of ghosts. It turns out this is both a reference to... Read more »]]>

If you haven’t seen the new Ghostbusters reboot yet, this is a spoiler alert.

Still here? If you’ve seen the movie, you may be wondering about the reference to “ley lines” and their power (at least in the movie) to link to the world of ghosts. It turns out this is both a reference to a real and possibly paranormal phenomenon and a callback to the first (and still the best, although this one is good) Ghostbusters movie.

In the new film, villain Rowan North puts a machine at the intersection of two ley lines at the Mercado Hotel in Times Square in hopes of opening a hole to bring out the ghosts. The art deco building is reminiscent of Dana Barrett’s apartment in the original film.

The Ghostbusters in the Mercado Hotel at the intersection of ley lines

The term “ley lines” is believed to have been coined by British amateur archeologist Alfred Watkins to describe the strange alignment of ancient significant places – both manmade and natural – in straight lines. After confirming his theory with a map, he described what he saw:

The apparent existence of numerous ancient straight trackways formed a network of intersecting straight lines stretching from one end of Britain to the other.

He called them “ley lines” because the names of many of the places crossed by them ended in “ley.” Watkins claimed the ley lines were aligned with the sun at the solstices and that gave them extra credibility and possible spiritual significance.

A famous ley line known as the St. Michael Alignment

This idea was scoffed at by many who pointed out that England is so dense with ancient structures that you can’t help but hitting a row of them just by throwing a straight line in any direction. Despite that, British author John Michell published The View Over Atlantis in 1969 in which he links ley lines to feng shui, keeping the land beneath them in harmony (at least until Brexit). That coincided with other beliefs that ley lines were aligned with Earth’s magnetic fields and the intersections were power or energy points – similar to the plot in the Ghostbusters reboot. Their perceived alignment with the stars led others to believe the creation of the structures intersected by the lines were directed by aliens building maps or landing sites (a theory behind the Nazca lines).

Possible ley lines across the United States

Ley lines and their possible paranormal powers became so popular that a publication was devoted to them – the Ley Hunter Journal. Longtime editor (1976-1996) Paul Devereux claims the term got its paranormal popularity from its use in the 1936 novel The Goat-Foot God by occultist Dion Fortune (Goat-Foot god refers to Pan). Devereux also investigated himself out of a job (although he nursed it for 20 years) by professing that Watkins’ ley lines – along with long-distance ley lines connected sites like Stonehenge, Greek temples, Macchu Pichu and the pyramids – are “really just chance alignments of points on maps.” However, he left the door open by stating that:

There are many earth mysteries that we need to continue to explore with our open minds.

So, looking at them with an open mind, do you think ley lines are real or just a movie device to identify where extreme “ghosting” occurs?

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/07/ghostbusters-and-the-existence-of-ley-lines/feed/1Dubai to Build World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Power Planthttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/dubai-to-build-worlds-largest-concentrated-solar-power-plant/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/dubai-to-build-worlds-largest-concentrated-solar-power-plant/#respondMon, 06 Jun 2016 21:00:54 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=62884Dubai has a habit of creating radically indulgent energy-intensive amenities for its residents–robot camel racing and indoor ski slopes for a start–but that doesn’t mean that the once oil-rich nation is completely blind to climate change and dwindling natural resources. And so, The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has unveiled plans to build a... Read more »]]>

Dubai has a habit of creating radically indulgent energy-intensive amenities for its residents–robot camel racing and indoor ski slopes for a start–but that doesn’t mean that the once oil-rich nation is completely blind to climate change and dwindling natural resources. And so, The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has unveiled plans to build a concentrated solar power plant, which will, of course, be the world’s largest.

Several concentrated solar thermal plants have been switched on in recent years, including Ivanpah in the Mojave Desert, US, and one near the city of Ouarzazate in Morocco, which is currently the world’s largest.

Ivanpah CSP in the Mojave Desert, which produces a measly gross capacity of 392MW

The plants generate power with the use of thousands of heliostats (or, mirrors, if you prefer) centered around a pillar, where the heat from the sun is “concentrated” and collected. This heat can then either immediately drive steam turbines to generate electricity, or it can be stored for later nighttime use–which is much easier and more cost effective than storing electricity itself.

So just how big is Dubai trying to go? According to the DEWA the project will consist of five phases, the first of which will see the plant generating 200MW by 2021. By 2025, when Dubai aims to be sourcing 25 percent of its power from renewable sources, the CSP facility will be producing 1000MW, almost twice the predicted output of Morocco’s CSP.

The project is part of a larger project within the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will ultimately combine solar photovoltaics (solar panels) and CSP, to produce 5000MW of clean energy by 2030. This one massive solar park will reduce Dubai’s carbon emissions by 6.5 million tons each year at a total cost of $136bn (USD).

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/06/dubai-to-build-worlds-largest-concentrated-solar-power-plant/feed/0Portugal Runs for Four Days Solely on Renewable Energyhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/portugal-runs-for-four-days-solely-on-renewable-energy/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/portugal-runs-for-four-days-solely-on-renewable-energy/#respondWed, 18 May 2016 18:41:58 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=61730Zero emissions has been achieved in a big way in Portugal. An analysis of the country’s national energy usage figures shows that the entire country ran on nothing but solar, wind, hydro power and biofuels for over four straight days, a 107-hour run running on no fossil fuels. Portugal’s renewable energy run began on May... Read more »]]>

Zero emissions has been achieved in a big way in Portugal. An analysis of the country’s national energy usage figures shows that the entire country ran on nothing but solar, wind, hydro power and biofuels for over four straight days, a 107-hour run running on no fossil fuels.

Portugal’s renewable energy run began on May 7th at 6.45 am and ended on May 11th at 5:45 pm and was verified by the National Energy Network (REN) and the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN). How did they do it? Francisco Ferreira, President of Portuguese sustainability NGO Zero, explains:

Portugal has been investing considerably in renewables, particularly in electricity, since this will be the main final energy within the next decades with the transition from fossil fuels in road transportation to electric vehicles. Since key decisions in the beginning of the century to greatly expand on-shore wind, with the renew of the equipment in certain dams and the improvement of their storage capacity to handle wind production variability, the electricity system can now achieve 100% of renewable electricity being produced and even export.

Throw in favorable weather for the May 4th weekend and extensive cooperation between all of the entities involved in managing Portugal’s electricity network and they had the perfect conditions to achieve full independence from fossil fuels. A major supplier of Portugal’s renewable energy is solar power, since the country receives the most sunlight in Europe.

Solar panels in Portugal

However, just as important is Portugal’s turnaround from coal to a dedicated commitment to renewables. A huge coal-burning power plant built in Sines in the late 80s soon made Portugal Europe’s largest producer of CO2 emissions. That revelation plus a directive from the EU that member nations need to produce at least 31% of their power from renewable sources – prompted a drastic turnaround that resulted in Portugal getting 48% of its energy from renewables in 2015.

Coal plant

While Portugal is currently in the renewables lead, Germany is close behind. On May 15th, Germany ran on 95% renewable energy, breaking last year’s record of 70-80%. Power prices actually went negative a few times, which meant consumers were being paid to use power! And it what is being called a “historic turning point” in the UK, for the first time in over 100 years the amount of electricity generated from coal fell to zero several times in the past week.

This competition to be first in renewable energy will probably have to be made into an Olympic event before we hear cries of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/05/portugal-runs-for-four-days-solely-on-renewable-energy/feed/0Many Mysterious Earthquakes and a Giant Methane Plumehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/01/many-mysterious-earthquakes-and-a-giant-methane-plume/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/01/many-mysterious-earthquakes-and-a-giant-methane-plume/#commentsWed, 07 Jan 2015 21:04:40 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=40350Between March 4 and March 12, 2014, 77 earthquakes were recorded in Poland Township, Ohio. Nine earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 1.6 to 3.6 occurred in North Texas in a 24 hour period this week. Satellite images show a plume of methane gas covering 2,500 square miles over New Mexico. Should we be worried? Scientists... Read more »]]>

Between March 4 and March 12, 2014, 77 earthquakes were recorded in Poland Township, Ohio. Nine earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 1.6 to 3.6 occurred in North Texas in a 24 hour period this week. Satellite images show a plume of methane gas covering 2,500 square miles over New Mexico. Should we be worried?

Scientists in Ohio think so. According to a report this week in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, the earthquakes in Ohio were caused by fracking and were the first strong enough to be felt by humans, not just measured by seismic equipment. The earthquakes ranged in magnitude from 1.0 to a building-shaking 3.0 and all occurred near oil and gas wells using hydraulic fracturing.

Locations of some of the North Texas earthquakes

Now they can add the Dallas area to the list of cities where humans have felt a high frequency of mysterious earthquakes. The 9 earthquakes registered from 1.6 to 3.6 and were felt in Irving, Dallas, Mesquite, Arlington and Coppell, with most of the shaking centered in Irving, a Dallas suburb. If you’re counting, a total of 25 earthquakes have been registered in this North Texas area since late October 2014 and over 100 since 2008. Irving just happens to be headquarters of Exxon Mobil’s XTO unit that pioneered fracking in this region. Not surprisingly, no one in the energy industry is making a connection to the earthquakes.

Size and location of methane plume over New Mexico

One of the consequences of fracking is the release of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. There are about 40,000 gas wells in the area underneath the New Mexico methane plume, the largest such gas cloud over the continental U.S. Methane is visible from space and the New Mexico plume is so big (the size of the state of Delaware), NASA scientists at first questioned their data. There’s no question now – just as there should be no question that this is a serious problem.

Massive clouds of methane over fracking sites. Increasing numbers of frequent earthquakes centered around fracking operations. There doesn’t appear to be any mystery here. Is it time to worry … or too late?

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/01/many-mysterious-earthquakes-and-a-giant-methane-plume/feed/2Vampire Jewelry Gets Its Power From Bloodhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/12/vampire-jewelry-gets-its-power-from-blood/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/12/vampire-jewelry-gets-its-power-from-blood/#commentsWed, 24 Dec 2014 00:31:09 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=40104I’ve seen women get excited by jewelry (save all your comments about how it’s the only way I can get them excited anymore) and I’ve heard there are certain pale beings of the night who get their energy from blood. But I’ve never seen a Venn diagram of this showing that the intersection of these... Read more »]]>

I’ve seen women get excited by jewelry (save all your comments about how it’s the only way I can get them excited anymore) and I’ve heard there are certain pale beings of the night who get their energy from blood. But I’ve never seen a Venn diagram of this showing that the intersection of these two circles is jewelry that bites into veins and can actually get power from human blood. Until now.

The vampire brooches are the brainchild of Naomi Kizhner, an otherwise normal industrial designer who came up with the idea while a student at Hadassah College in Jerusalem. While it sounds vampiric, the project was actually called “Energy Addicts” and was based on Naomi’s idea that we can possibly solve the world’s energy crisis by using living human bodies as sources of power. This sounds more like a Venn diagram of “The Matrix” and “Dracula” with Naomi’s Blood Bridge in the middle.

The Blood Bridge (shown above) is made of gold and 3D-printed biopolymer. The gold spikes at each end are inserted into a vein in an arm, rerouting the blood through the decorative casing (it’s jewelry, remember?) where it spins a gold wheel that will eventually generate energy to produce electricity.

Naomi wants her line of Energy Addict jewelry to be functional and thought-provoking.

Will we be willing to sacrifice our bodies in order to produce more energy? My intention is to provoke a discussion.

The Blinker

Naomi has power-generating jewelry that doesn’t require opening a vein. Looking for a cheap way to recharge your Google Glass? “The Blinker” could be your stylish solution. It sits on the bridge of the nose and is supposed to collect the energy generated by the increased blood flow produced by blinking. For that bare spot on your back directly above the tramp stamp, there’s the E-pulse Conductor which is supposed to collect energy from spinal cord nerves.

The E-pulse Conductor

Is the Energy Addicts line functional? Not yet. Creepy? Definitely. A good gift for your significant other? I’ll stick with candy for now.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/12/vampire-jewelry-gets-its-power-from-blood/feed/2Highly Efficient Steam Power From a Solar Spongehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/07/highly-efficient-steam-power-from-a-solar-sponge/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/07/highly-efficient-steam-power-from-a-solar-sponge/#respondTue, 22 Jul 2014 21:33:26 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=34711To paraphrase an old joke (if you don’t get it, ask a third grader) – what is full of holes yet still holds water and uses solar power to create steam with extreme efficiency? A new sponge-like material developed at MIT that could eventually provide low cost power generation in poor countries and a clean... Read more »]]>

To paraphrase an old joke (if you don’t get it, ask a third grader) – what is full of holes yet still holds water and uses solar power to create steam with extreme efficiency? A new sponge-like material developed at MIT that could eventually provide low cost power generation in poor countries and a clean power alternative to coal and oil.

Traditional solar-powered steam generators use reflectors and lenses to aim and magnify sunlight at a container of water until it boils. It works but wastes a lot of power and time. A more recent high-tech method uses nanofluids – water mixed with nanoparticles that heat quickly when exposed to intense sunlight and vaporize the liquid into steam. The large amount of sunlight needed makes this alternative too costly at this time.

Nature Communications reports on the new material developed by researchers under the direction of Hadi Ghasemi in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. The material consists of a layer of graphite flakes on top of carbon foam. Sunlight on the graphite creates a hotspot which heats the underlying water, causing it to be absorbed by the sponge and drawn up through the pores in the graphite where it rises and emerges as steam.

A depiction of how the process works and the solar sponge in action.

In terms of efficiency, this material can convert 85 percent of the solar energy it receives into steam, loses very little heat in the process and can operate effectively in low sunlight. In addition, the sponge is cheap to make. Ghasemi explains what this means:

Steam is important for desalination, hygiene systems, and sterilization. Especially in remote areas where the sun is the only source of energy, if you can generate steam with solar energy, it would be very useful.

Let’s hope this simple yet efficient solar energy sponge gets to the people who need it before big energy companies figure out a way to make it soak up money and power their profit machines

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/07/highly-efficient-steam-power-from-a-solar-sponge/feed/0Why You Can’t Drive a Nuclear Car (Yet)http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/06/why-you-cant-drive-a-nuclear-car/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/06/why-you-cant-drive-a-nuclear-car/#commentsSun, 29 Jun 2014 10:44:48 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=33681There’s a viral video making the rounds that suggests we have the capacity to build a car that will run for 100 years on the extremely common and relatively harmless radioactive material thorium, and we aren’t taking advantage of it because the petroleum industry doesn’t want us to. This might invite a certain amount of... Read more »]]>

There’s a viral video making the rounds that suggests we have the capacity to build a car that will run for 100 years on the extremely common and relatively harmless radioactive material thorium, and we aren’t taking advantage of it because the petroleum industry doesn’t want us to. This might invite a certain amount of skepticism on the part of a reasonable person. And if you’ve already read our piece on the Solar Freakin’ Roadways concept, you know that the role of reasonable person is sometimes played by Phil Mason, better known to his YouTube fanbase as thunderf00t. Here’s his take on the thorium car. (Spoiler: he doesn’t like it.)

The original concept comes from designer Loren Kulesus, whose name for the vehicle—the World Thorium Fuel (WTF) Concept—suggests that at least part of his tongue may have been in his cheek when he designed it. In any case, there is certainly some basis for the idea that liquid-salt thorium plants may be safer than light-water uranium plants, giving us the option of nuclear power with less risk. The documentary The Thorium Dream explores this idea, and the people who support it, in some depth.

The truth is that the scientific community hasn’t studied thorium power in much detail; as the documentary points out, the vast bulk of the research conducted on our current nuclear power cycle has to do with the fact that the ingredients we use now can be easily weaponized. Thorium is much less useful in nuclear missile design (though the liquid salt approach is not completely safe), so it didn’t benefit from the same level of research. But it does warrant further scientific study.

We don’t know for certain we won’t be driving thorium-powered cars one day; we just don’t have access to that kind of technology yet. If you’re excited about the possibility of investigating the use of thorium in nuclear power plants (and maybe one day in smaller devices like automobiles), you should check out the Thorium Energy Alliance; they’re a small organization and would probably appreciate your help.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/06/why-you-cant-drive-a-nuclear-car/feed/1Could Your Blood Charge Your Smartphone?http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/04/could-your-blood-charge-your-smartphone/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/04/could-your-blood-charge-your-smartphone/#respondMon, 07 Apr 2014 07:28:48 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=30160Nature has given biological systems a 3.7 billion year head start on mechanical technology, and it shows. As a whole, living things are more complex, efficient, mysterious, and (usually) environmentally sustainable than anything we can build. So it stands to reason that biofuel researchers would take advantage of some of these shortcuts to power our... Read more »]]>

Nature has given biological systems a 3.7 billion year head start on mechanical technology, and it shows. As a whole, living things are more complex, efficient, mysterious, and (usually) environmentally sustainable than anything we can build. So it stands to reason that biofuel researchers would take advantage of some of these shortcuts to power our electronics.

But Swedish researchers Sergey Shleev and Magnus Falk are taking an especially bold, pragmatic, and taboo-busting approach by looking to our own blood as a possible source of fuel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fW7YikZThg

The Shleev-Falk blood battery uses the same general technology that the grape battery did ten years ago. It’s an energy source that’s cheap, potentially easy to miniaturize, and (at the moment) too weak to be of general use—but because it relies on natural metabolic processes, it’s clean and endlessly renewable.

Shleev and Falk are currently trying to generate funds for implantable medical technology—blood-powered pacemakers and artificial organs, for example, would especially benefit from blood power. But as our other gadgets become more and more energy-efficient, and we are able to generate more and more power through our bodies’ natural processes, the question of how much we can, or should, rely on our own biological processes to power our devices will become more relevant.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/04/could-your-blood-charge-your-smartphone/feed/0Cold Fusion, or Cold Shoulder?http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/01/cold-fusion-or-cold-shoulder/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/01/cold-fusion-or-cold-shoulder/#commentsThu, 27 Jan 2011 01:17:17 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=4001For some, one of the greatest concerns of the present day involves the hope for a vast overhaul of the way humans use and obtain energy. While some advocate tapping existing resources (such as drilling for oil), many are focused on the future with emerging trends toward sustainable or “green” energy systems, which include utilizing... Read more »]]>

For some, one of the greatest concerns of the present day involves the hope for a vast overhaul of the way humans use and obtain energy. While some advocate tapping existing resources (such as drilling for oil), many are focused on the future with emerging trends toward sustainable or “green” energy systems, which include utilizing ocean currents, wind, geothermal energy and sunlight in processes that can generate electricity. The energy innovations of the future, however, are occurring today, according to some.

The latest circumstance to have emerged with regard to such energy innovations occurred last week, when two Italian scientists with the University of Bologna announced that they developed “a cold fusion device capable of producing 12,400 W of heat power with an input of just 400 W.” Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi, the men behind the claims, released their information both through a scientific journal and a press conference held in Bologna which, curiously, was only open to the press on an invitation basis. 50 people attended the pair’s demonstration, where they claimed to have shown how their fusion device worked. But many questions remain… and they don’t merely pertain to the immediate question as to whether the two have indeed managed to harness the power of cold fusion.

While Rossi and Focardi say their unique process can produce energy in ways that cost “significantly less than coal or natural gas plants,” Clay Dillow, writing for Fox News, recently argued that we’ve yet to actually see reliable proof of what Rossi and Focardi are claiming. “The problem is, they haven’t provided any details on how the process works. After their paper was rejected by several peer reviewed scientific journals, it was published in the Journal of Nuclear Physics,” which Dillow points out was an online journal; and not only that, but a publication which Rossi and Focardi founded themselves.

“Further,” Dillow continued, “they say they can’t account for how the cold fusion is triggered, fostering deep skepticism from others in the scientific community.” If the two are actually making the claim that this process will be made available commercially by the end of 2011, how is it that they can state that their process works, if they indeed cannot account for what what exactly triggers the fusion itself? At best, the claims these two are making at present seem dubious… and for now, you can call me a pessimist if you like, but I’ll keep my bets on windmills and solar panels.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/01/cold-fusion-or-cold-shoulder/feed/2From The Ground Up: Building a UFOhttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2010/07/from-the-ground-up-building-a-ufo/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2010/07/from-the-ground-up-building-a-ufo/#commentsMon, 19 Jul 2010 05:20:10 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=2782We’re making extraordinary leaps these days when it comes to technology. While so many automakers are fumbling trying to design electric cars and the like that increase fuel efficiency, English engineer Gordon Murray has designed a tiny three-seater that already gets 80 mpg… he’s working on achieving 100. Meanwhile, NASA is taking submissions for “inflatable... Read more »]]>

We’re making extraordinary leaps these days when it comes to technology. While so many automakers are fumbling trying to design electric cars and the like that increase fuel efficiency, English engineer Gordon Murray has designed a tiny three-seater that already gets 80 mpg… he’s working on achieving 100.

Meanwhile, NASA is taking submissions for “inflatable space-houses,” outsourcing to students this summer in an effort to find a new design for a functional inflatable lunar habitat.

Of course, it doesn’t look like we’ll be going to the moon again any time soon, since costs behind such a production are more than most countries are willing to undertake during economically recessive times on a global scale. For those of us who spend our evenings just staring at the moon from a distance instead, even folks suffering from macular degeneration need not worry: a new telescope that replaces the eye’s nature lens is reportedly able to magnify what the eye would normally see by almost three times (does that still constitute being a “naked eye”?). But what if real innovations in fuel efficiency and sources could take place, something akin to Tesla’s designs for electric spacecraft that would have resembled modern reports of UFOs?

One former NASA engineer, the late Dr. Charles Yost, spent his retirement working in a laboratory in Western North Carolina attempting to do just that. Having assisted in the design of Apollo-era NASA space modules, the story goes that Yost had been visiting the mountains decades ago when, during a night-time hike on a mountainside, he observed a strange, football-shaped aircraft glowing green as it drifted overhead. Referring to the unidentified object as a “UFO,” Yost stood and observed the craft for several moments, proclaiming later to colleagues that he wanted to “build one.” Upon his retirement, Yost purchased land on the very mountain where he had the experience, and constructed a pyramid-shaped laboratory which be came the home of his business enterprise, Dynamic Systems, whose innovations include Tempur-pedic “memory foam” mattresses.

Yost’s passion, of course, would always be trying to build an Electric Spacecraft, which became the name of a quarterly scientific journal he published. Contributors from around the world submitted articles pertaining to innovations in electromagnetic energy, propulsion and other sciences aimed at revolutionizing energy and aeronautics so that, essentially, an electric spacecraft the likes of most purported UFOs could be built. Imagine a vehicle that produces tremendous electromagnetic fields capable of buoying itself against Earth’s own gravitational field, navigating through air and space with unprecedented command and maneuverability. In theory, this is far from being an impossibility… although it’s hardly anything we’re close to building right now; at least as far as we’ve been made aware.

Of course, while some are busy wondering how aliens might achieve such unique modes of transportation, some argue that the technology needed to build such craft has existed for millennia right here on Earth. Ancient Vedic texts describe what the ancient Indians called “vimanas,” often depicted as resembling airplanes, floating cities, and even disc-shaped objects capable of tremendous speed and airborne agility. The craft, which by most accounts appear to be mythic in nature, are curiously treated as though they did exist in many instances, even evoking detailed commentary on their inner workings. Deciphering the methods of propulsion used by the vimanas becomes a trifle difficult, since scholars remain uncertain as to the identity of some of the elements involved. Some have argued that the core engine in these craft, according to interpretations of the Sanskrit documents, involved an engine that had some mercuric component that powered the craft. Centuries later, it was alleged that the Nazis had designed a similar craft, referred to as “the Bell,” which achieved anti-gravitational effects with a mercury-propulsion system. Coincidentally, Hitler had expressed great interest in the Vedas and ancient Sanskrit documentations, more likely for occult purposes (another fascination many of the primary Nazi leaders shared), and deployed groups to obtain and study the documents.

The ancient Vedas also describe weapons with tremendous destructive potential: specifically, the inclusion of what sound like mushroom clouds resulting from nuclear blasts. This sheds an unsettling light on the discovery of several ancient sites around the world where ancient stone walls have been vitrified; that is, the separate stones melded together by a sudden, intense blast of heat. In more recent times, this was found to have occurred at Hiroshima, and at a question and answer among college students shortly after World War II, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer was asked if the initial test blast at Alamagordo was indeed the first detonation of a nuclear device here on Earth. His reply was, “Yes, in modern times.” Oppenheimer was also well-versed in the Sanskrit texts, especially those pertaining to “an unknown weapon, a ray of iron” used to strike down entire cities in a single blast. Could his development of atomic weaponry have been influenced by ancient sources?

If indeed technology has existed at any point that would permit the kind of superior maneuverability a “UFO” might allow, it seems almost inevitable that we’ll unlock those secrets again at some point. While we marvel at the technological innovations of today, some might argue that we’ve hardly reached our renaissance, and that greater wonders await us; once achieved, hopefully we’ll use them responsibly, knowing the destructive potential that comes paired with such great power.

]]>http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2010/07/from-the-ground-up-building-a-ufo/feed/2Dark Matter: The Real Mysterious Universehttp://mysteriousuniverse.org/2009/09/dark-matter-the-real-mysterious-universe/
http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2009/09/dark-matter-the-real-mysterious-universe/#commentsWed, 09 Sep 2009 14:11:08 +0000http://mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=585We think of the universe in terms of what we can see. The stars, galaxies, gas clusters and particles that light up our night have intrigued and fascinated us since the beginning of time. However it is the dark universe, what we cannot see and what we cannot fathom, that makes up the majority of... Read more »]]>

We think of the universe in terms of what we can see. The stars, galaxies, gas clusters and particles that light up our night have intrigued and fascinated us since the beginning of time. However it is the dark universe, what we cannot see and what we cannot fathom, that makes up the majority of our sky. If we cannot see it and we don’t know what it is, how do we know dark matter exists and who really cares anyway?

The story of our dark and mysterious universe begins with Fritz Zwicky. Like many “brainiacs” before him, he had nothing better to do one day than to contemplate the universe or his navel or both at the same time. He found through complex and extremely boring math stuff, that the universe has a lot more mass than what can be accounted for by what we see. This “missing mass” problem was the birth of the idea of dark matter or as I prefer to call it “awesome nothingness”!!

“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” – Douglas Adams

The Universe is a Jar of Jellybeans

We think of space as a vacuum, so where does all this awesome nothingness that is dark matter fit in? Just think of the universe as a jar of jellybeans filled up mostly with black ones and a few of the coloured variety. The yummy colours are the baryonic matter we see and the black ones are our dark matter. They may taste yuk but they hold the universe together and may ultimately decide the fate of the jar.
What exactly are these black jellybeans? Many more brainiacs have come up with a number of speculations or what I call “untheories”, that is, through lots of careful observations and more wiggy math stuff, you have no idea what it actually is, but you have a really good idea what it isn’t.

M.A.C.H.Os vs W.I.M.Ps

Dark matter is not the baryonic matter of protons and neutrons that we know and feel comfortable with. It does have to be something and there are a few ideas. Dark matter could be made up of M.A.C.H.Os also known as Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects, or a complicated way of saying brown dwarf stars and black holes. Now I am as fond of a good singularity as the next person, but black holes are so last millennium. In my opinion M.A.C.H.Os get beaten up by W.I.M.Ps also known as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles that are subatomic in nature, have a low mass and rarely interact with normal matter. Wouldn’t you know it wimps take over the universe. Next geeks shall inherit the earth!

Dark Fluid, not Just a Good Cup of Coffee

So we accept the existence of dark matter and it may seem pretty wimpy, but that is not the end of the story. Our universe is not static but expanding. The Big Bang may explain this expansion, but how do we account for this expansion accelerating?

This is where Dark Matter could be gravitationally repulsive, which creates a form of Dark Energy. Dark Matter and the subtle effects of this energy act as a kind of Dark Fluid that fuels the universe itself; pretty much like coffee keeps us going.

Get Warped

The repulsive gravitational effects of dark energy has implications for us beyond just powering the expansion of the universe. That’s right my pointy eared trekkie fans, Dark fluid could make warp speed and interstellar travel a reality. Two physicists from Baylor University have suggested that utilizing dark energy generated from the manipulation of dimensions, can create a bubble that can propel us at faster than light speeds. The basis of this innovative theory is that rather than moving an object at incredible speeds, you manipulate space-time to expand behind and shrink in front of it. This effectively moves space around the object. I just love people who think outside the space ship.

The Ultimate Fate

Dark matter and Dark energy may just be the most fundamental stuff in the universe. It will take eons for us mundane humans to get our heads around the concepts and implications and it is easy to say “So what?” Dark matter and its behavior, may give us a greater understanding of the origins of the universe and it’s ultimate fate. The amount of Dark energy generated is accelerating the universe but where does it all end? When thinking of Dark Fluid we have to ask, “how much is really being generated and will it end with the universe being Open, or expanding forever, or will gravity catch up and be pulled back into a Big Crunch?”

Maybe the universe is so elegant that there is just enough energy to balance out and stop the universe expanding at some point, also known as a Flat universe. Whatever the ending, you and I will not be here to see it, but it is fabulous to contemplate anyway.